


the problem is, you think you have time

by ackermanx



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Pushing Daisies AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-13 06:12:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7965631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ackermanx/pseuds/ackermanx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>for Bokuto and Akaashi, the clock was always ticking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> /whale noises
> 
> I severely misjudged the amount of time it would take me to write 10,000 words so /blinks owlishly What Is Sleep
> 
> but anyways! I had fun writing the longest fic I have ever written (for now, at least). I'd like to thank hqbb for making me get on my ass and write, which is why I sign up for so many exchanges/challenges even though I tell myself not to LMAO
> 
> /gestures at fic enjoy!!
> 
>  
> 
> (extra note: I wrote this in a .txt file so I had no formatting options,,,I might change the formatting a bit later)

As a child, Bokuto Koutarou has a wonderful life. His parents always make sure he's well-fed, well-educated, and well-entertained; his friends are just as loud and excitable as he is; and his classmates seem to enjoy making mischief as much as he does. 

The only problem is that his neighbors are nonexistent. 

And as much as Bokuto enjoys his life at school and at home, he's always been all too aware of empty houses that surround him, forever quiet and forever darkened.

Until one day, his mother looks out the window and spots something unusual.

"Koutarou?" she calls. "Come here, you might want to see this."

Bokuto eagerly bounds towards the window. He peers out, following his mother's line of sight, and almost squeals with delight. 

Because outside, parked in front of a previously empty house, was a moving van. And there were /people/ carrying boxes off the van and into the house. 

"Mom! Mom, can I go say hi?" Bokuto points out the window, jumping up and down excitedly. "I've never had neighbors before! Do you think they're nice people?" A sudden thought strikes him. "They're not gonna…leave, are they?"

His mother lets out a little laugh and ruffles Bokuto's hair. "Don't worry, Koutarou, I'm pretty sure they aren't leaving anytime soon. But what do you say I go over there and invite our new neighbors to lunch?"

\-------------------------------

It was only two minutes past twelve thirty, but Bokuto couldn't help fidgeting nervously in his seat.

"Mom? Are they going to come?" he calls, unwilling to budge from his perch by the window.

Comforting laughter radiates from the kitchen. "You must be excited, huh? The last time you kept asking a question like that was when we were going on a road trip. But - oh, look, Koutarou! It's them!"

Bokuto practically skids over to where his mother is, flailing his arms to keep from crashing into (and possibly through) the window. He peers outside, eagerly searching for any evidence of his neighbors, wilts when he doesn't see anything beyond the usual plant life, and perks up once again when the doorbell rings.

His mother fondly ruffles his hair, pushing him in the direction of the hallway. "I think that's them. Why don't you open the door - "

But the words have barely left her mouth before Bokuto skids back into the hallway, actually does crash into the wall this time, and practically wrenches open the door with a giant grin on his face.

What he is expecting: polite parents bearing gifts of food that his mom will probably turn down, and wearing what looks like overly-starched suits that could probably stand on their own.

What he isn't expecting: a tiny black-haired child hiding behind his parents' legs, shyly peering out at Bokuto from underneath his eyelashes.

Bokuto thinks he's fallen in love.

(He doesn't realise how long he's been standing in the doorway until his mother shows up, cracking a joke to make their guests at ease and gently guiding Bokuto away from the door, winking at his reddening face.)

\--------------------------------

The boy's name is Akaashi, Bokuto finds out later.

Of course, it's only his family name, but at least it's something. Besides, Bokuto is persistent (it's one of those traits that makes him truly /him/), and he figures he can weasel Akaashi's first name out of him eventually.

His only reasoning? A person as pretty as him must have a beautiful name.

Meanwhile, ever since Bokuto's mother had invited the Akaashis over for lunch, the two families had grown exceedingly close. It was now a common sight to see Bokuto leading Akaashi on an "adventure" around the neighborhood, and it wasn't strange anymore to see Akaashi hopping the fence that separated the two houses, making his way towards an overly excited Bokuto.

The rest of summer passes by in a haze of ice cream and good feelings, and school arrives to bring the fun to a halt. But somehow, Bokuto manages to make even school, which isn't exactly the most interesting thing in the world, into a fun experience.

He insists on giving Akaashi a personal tour of the school - even though they're only in elementary school, he manages to describe each part of the school just as well as, if not better than, the teachers. Bokuto introduces Akaashi to each of his friends, which does not go as smoothly as he was hoping ("…and this guy here who looks like he's about to fall asleep any second is Konoh - ow. that hurt!").

And okay, maybe he is a little over-the-top about, well, /everything/, but it isn't every day that he gets the chance to impress someone, least of all someone as stunning as Akaashi is.

(And if Bokuto's heart lifts a little every time he manages to make Akaashi smile, that's something he keeps to himself.)

\---------------------------------

They're in seventh grade, picking flowers and idly ripping off petals in Akaashi's backyard when it happens.

By then, Bokuto has explicitly told Akaashi to call him by his given name, although Akaashi rarely does, preferring to call him either "Bokuto-san" or simply "Bokuto." Bokuto has long since found out what Akaashi's given name is (he had hidden in the bushes in front of Akaashi's house multiple times, hoping to catch a snatch of conversation; he had almost danced in glee when he had heard Akaashi's mother yell an exasperated "KEIJI!"), but he wanted to wait until Akaashi expressly gave him permission to use it.That's what gentlemen did, right?

Akaashi picks at a blade of grass. He draws in a breath, hesitates, and then -

"Bokuto." he blurts out suddenly. "Could you do me a favor?"

Bokuto kicks his feet in the air. "Sure! What is it, Akaashi?"

"Could you…call me Keiji instead? Only if you want to, of course, but I was thinking, we're close enough to do that sort of thing, right? 

Bokuto can only stare. 

"Of course, if you don't, I can completely understand, but if you do want to that's alright too - "

"I'd love to!" Bokuto grins at Akaashi, a grin so overwhelmingly bright that Akaashi almost has to squint to be able look at Bokuto.

"…Keiji."

\------------------------------

Some things are just too good to last, and Bokuto and Akaashi together is one of those things.

After seventh grade ends, Akaashi moves. Bokuto and his parents have a going-away party for them, if only to let Akaashi know how much he'll be missed. Bokuto himself helps with the moving process, lugging small pieces of furniture to the moving van and dashing back into the house to see what else he can do.

When it comes time to go, Bokuto thinks he sees the faintest glimmer of tears in Akaashi's eyes. even though Akaashi has proclaimed himself many times that he's "not the type to get too emotional over things."

Eighth grade feels lonelier than usual.

\-------------------------------------

Before Akaashi left, Bokuto had made him promise to email every week or so, and so far, Akaashi had stuck to that promise. He writes entire paragraphs to Bokuto about how the weather was different, how it started to become chilly in the month of August, how the flowers here were more diverse (but they could never compare to the ones he had picked in Tokyo together with Bokuto). In return, Bokuto excitedly describes his high school experience, talkes animatedly about playing volleyball, and goes on long-winded rants about how /hard/ the tests are and how much he wishes Akaashi was still here so he could help Bokuto study.

Occasionally, Skype is suggested, but it's months before both of them have enough time to squeeze in a thirty-minute Skype session in before bed. Bokuto runs his hands through his hair nervously, wondering how much Akaashi could have changed in one year, and nearly forgets to breathe once the loading animation stops and a high-resolution video pops up on his screen.

On his screen is definitely /not/ the same person that Bokuto used to play with all day during the summer, because that person didn't look permanently sleepy, actually brushed his hair, and /couldn't/ have gotten even prettier because that was impossible.

(Right?)

"Bokuto-san? Are you alright?" Akaashi asks, a faint smile on his face. "Your face is turning extremely red right now."

"…Ah? Just the heat! It's just the heat, don't worry." Bokuto breaks into what he's sure sounds like forced laughter, and he feels his entire body heat up a few degrees. "You remember how my computer gets sometimes, right?"

"Ah…I believe so." Akaashi's smile grows wider, and Bokuto wants to sink into the floor. "But how have you been?"

"Fine! Good!" Bokuto replies perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, glad for the subject change. "Finals are coming up and my mom says I should be studying, but they're still months away. I got time!"

"She's right, you know. Months have a tendency to turn into weeks before you know it."

Bokuto groans. "You sound just like my mom. Haven't changed at all, have you?"

"No, I don't suppose I have." Akaashi cracks a grin, and suddenly Bokuto wishes that Akaashi was right next to him, instead of being a cluster of pixels on his computer screen.

"You know what?" Bokuto smiles sadly and looks down at the surface of his table. "I really miss you, Akaashi."

Static crackles through the speaker as Akaashi huffs a breath directly into the mic. "You know, I think I might be able to help you with that."

Bokuto crinkles his forehead in confusion. "Help? How are you going to help with me missing you?"

"Well - " Akaashi breaks off and leans backwards in his chair. "Mom? Can I tell him?"

Bokuto hears a muffled 'yes, dear,' and Akaashi's face reappears, smiling more than Bokuto has ever seen in his life. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, he thinks.

"We're coming back to visit."

Bokuto blinks once. Twice.

"Whoa, what do you mean you're coming back? Can you do that?"

Akaashi rolls his eyes. "I'm traveling with a friend of mine. Yaku Morisuke? You might know him? He's also visiting a friend of his in Tokyo, so I'll be with him the whole way there. He's old enough to drive, and mature enough to make the right decisions, so my parents trust him to drive me."

"If you say so!" Bokuto tries (and fails) to hide his excitement - he forgets that he's videochatting, and that Akaashi can see every expression he makes.

They move onto other topics , but Bokuto starts lying awake late at night, anticipating the day when Akaashi would arrive.

It never comes. 

A month passes, and Bokuto grows impatient. He continually bugs his parents for news, even though there was no way they'd know either, and jumps to receive every phone call. It gets to the point where Bokuto's parents are ready to tell Bokuto to just give up, and then a call does come. Just like with all the other calls, Bokuto races to the phone, calling out that "he'll get it," and breathlessly picks up the receiver.

"Hello?"

A sniffle on the other end. "B-Bokuto? Is that you, dear?"

"It's Akaashi-san!" Bokuto mouths to his mom, then turns back to the phone.

"Yes! Yes, it is. Is everything all right?"

"I'm afraid not." Bokuto can almost hear the sad smile in Akaashi-san's voice. "You see, Keiji, he - he's gone missing."

Bokuto goes completely still. Akaashi, missing? There was no way, he was too smart for that, maybe he was just lost - 

"…outarou? Koutarou, you still there?" A male voice - Akaashi's dad, Bokuto belatedly realizes - floats through the speaker. 

Mouth dry, Bokuto nods, then remembers that he's on the phone and croaks out a weak "yes."

"Yaku, the boy he was supposed to travel with…Yaku said that Keiji never reached his house. We put up advertisements and flyers everywhere, but…nothing's come up yet. The police said they would take the case, but I think they're giving up as well.

"Koutarou, I'm…I'm so sorry."

Bokuto collapses into the floor, still holding the phone in his hand.

He doesn't remember life after Akaashi as clearly, but he does know that everything's a little bit duller.


	2. Chapter 2

"Get up already! Oi, if you miss any more classes your mom is going to be P-I-S-S-E-D. Get - up!"

With a thud, Kuroo Tetsurou drags Bokuto's heavy body out of bed and onto the floor.

Bokuto groans as his breath exits his body in one big huff. "Dude. Bro. Buddy. What time is it?"

"Uh, it's almost nine AM? I can cook breakfast for you but I sure as hell can't take your classes for you."

Kuroo sits back and smirks as Bokuto finally registers what time it is and slowly widens his eyes.

"Shit."

Bokuto jumps off of the floor, grabs a few articles of clothing off of the floor, and dashes to the bathroom. 

"Didn't I tell you to set an alarm? Didn't I?" Kuroo follows Bokuto to the bathroom, leaning on the door frame with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Groaning, Bokuto throws a dirty sock at Kuroo's face. "Shut up and give me some of that breakfast you were talking about."

\------------------------------------

Three hours later, Bokuto stumbles back into his dorm room, clutching a thick binder and groaning.

"Why," he directs at no one in particular. "Why did I ever think this was a good idea?"

"What did you do this time?" Kuroo's bored voice calls from the kitchen.

"My entire college major, that's what I did." Bokuto flops onto the couch, burying his face in the nearest pillow. "Why did I think criminal justice was a good idea?"

"Seriously? That's what you're worried about?" Kuroo lazily strolls into the living room and perches himself rather gracefully on the arm of a chair. "In case you've forgotten, you love criminal justice with a capital L. Do I need to count for you the number of times you have kicked me off the couch so you could watch that CSI show of yours?"

"Whaddoes that hatto do wih anything?" Bokuto mumbles, words slurred by the pillow.

"Uh, in case you haven't noticed, CSI is literally criminal justice? So if you don't love your college major, then I'm a rat's ass, and all your arguments are considered null and void."

Bokuto surfaces from his pillow and cracks a smile. "You know, you'd make a great lawyer."

Kuroo throws a blanket over Bokuto's head. "Shut up."

\------------------------------------

Bokuto never told anyone why he decided to pursue criminal justice. Whenever someone asked him, he would usually just bullshit an answer that went along the lines of "I want Japan to be a safer place" and the receiver of that explanation would take it hook, line, and sinker. The only people who know the real reason behind his determination towards his college major are his parents, Akaashi's parents, and now, Kuroo Tetsurou.

Because really, Bokuto was doing it all for Akaashi. He wanted to get into the police force; he wanted to get his hands on Akaashi's (most likely) closed case and open it again. Bokuto knew that Akaashi had to be alive, somehow, and even if he wasn't alive, Bokuto wanted to be able to say one last goodbye.

Kuroo had snorted upon hearing this and emptied the remaining contents of his glass of water into his mouth. "Not to be insensitive here, but what's the point of saying goodbye to a dead body? It's not like they can say anything back."

Bokuto hesitated.

"What if…" he said slowly. "What if I told you…there was a way to bring people back from the dead?"

"Pfft, yeah, right. That Harry Potter shit doesn't exist in real life." Kuroo turned around, ready to flounce out of the room to grab another glass of water, but stopped when he saw Bokuto's completely serious expression. "Or. It shouldn't. Explain now, man."

And so, Bokuto began haltingly explaining his ability to Kuroo Tetsurou, his roommate of a single week. He could bring living things back from the dead with a single touch, he admitted, but there was a catch - he could only do it for three hours. After those three hours were up, he either had to touch the being again to return them to their previous state, or another living thing would die for every month, week, or day the being was kept alive, depending on how long it's been.

Kuroo had remained quiet while he lthepolivened to the explanation, but then he let out a low whistle and looked up at the ceiling. "Right. I take back everything I was going to say about you not being able to make it into the police force. The police are going to L-O-V-E you. One question, though: how do you know you have this…power? Like, did you accidentally touch a dead body and, bam, it started moving and talking like a living person?"

Bokuto smiled. "Something like that, actually. I was playing outside once, and there was a dead rabbit on the side of the road. I wanted to carry it home and give it a proper burial, so I picked it up and started to head back. But a few moments later, it started to wriggle, and being the nine-year-old kid that I was, I screamed and dropped the rabbit on the ground. Then I got to watch as its eyes lit back up, it flopped back onto its feet, and hopped away into the bushes like it had never been dead in the first place."

"Sick," Kuroo whispered. "Hey, hey, lemme tell you my side of the story."

Kuroo's mother had been part of the police force assigned to Akaashi's case. Because of his mother being in the police, Kuroo had always adored them, and ever since he was a child he had known what he wanted to do when he grew up: become a policeman.

During the case, Kuroo's mother had often stayed up late, staring at files that she brought home from work, trying to find a correlation between pieces of evidence that just didn't seem to be related. Often, Kuroo would sit next to her for comfort, and he would peer down at the pictures and typed pages and try to make sense of them.

When the police closed Akaashi's case after weeks of searching, it had come as a huge blow to Kuroo. He had believed that the police were invincible, that there wasn't anything that they couldn't do. Even back then, he had believed that there must be a way to resolve the case in a satisfactory way, and he had vowed to himself that it would be the first thing be did as a policeman.

"So?" Kuroo had grinned after telling his story. "Wanna join the police with me after we get out of this school?"

Bokuto took a deep breath. With his ability, and Kuroo's smarts (although Kuroo constantly tried to deny that he was a nerd, Bokuto had seen the speed with which Kuroo finished his homework and the grades that Kuroo got on tests), they could very well close Akaashi's case for good, bringing peace to himself and to Akaashi's parents. And even beyond that, there was so much that they could accomplish together; to Bokuto, the future seemed endless in that moment.

Bokuto peeked out from underneath his eyelashes at Kuroo, then broke into a grin to rival the other boy's.

"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /coughs I, as well, love shows like CSI,


	3. Chapter 3

"Dude. Can you at least try not to doze on when I'm briefing you?"

Kuroo looks on, amused, as Bokuto snorts once, jolts awake, and tries to discreetly wipe away the drool that had gathered in the corner of his mouth. "Uh? What happened?"

"I was going over this new case with you, and you straight up fell asleep on me without even trying to act interested. You know, if someone else was in my position, you'd be fired by now. Boom. Gone."

"But I'm /useful/ to the police - "

"Uh uh, don't get that sort of attitude." Kuroo leans forward and wags a finger in Bokuto's face. "That is exactly what will hurt you. The boss will gladly let you go, even if you're our most powerful weapon right now. And dude. Get some more sleep. I know you're still hung up over Akaashi, but we can't to anything yet. Kiyoko-san's the one who takes care of the cold cases, and I've asked her if we can pick one up, but I still haven't heard back from her. Relax, bro."

Bokuto has the decency to look vaguely ashamed. "Ah, right, I'll try to get some rest…so, what /were/ you talking about before I fell asleep?"

Kuroo raises an eyebrow and shuffles some papers. "There was another murder last night, and it had the same M.O. as the person who took a hostage a few days ago and the person who broke into that old lady's house last week. We think the same killer committed all these crimes, but the boss wants to make sure - "

Suddenly, the door to Kuroo's office bursts open, and a tiny blonde girl stands there, still trying to catch her breath. When she sees both Bokuto and Kuroo staring at her, she squeaks and straightens up.

"You're Kuroo-san, right?" she asks.

Kuroo slowly raises a single eyebrow. "Yes…?"

"Oh! Good. Kiyoko-san sent me to tell you, you got the case!"

\---------------------------------------

After that announcement, both men find it hard to concentrate for the rest of the day; Kuroo eventually gives up trying to get Bokuto's attention and settles on trying to make it look like they're doing something productive while sitting there in Kuroo's office.

Back home, in their different apartments, neither of them talk or sleep as much as they usually do, both their minds in very different places.

The next day, they arrive at work at the crack of dawn.

Kiyoko is surprised, because normally she's the only one at the police department at that hour, but she doesn't comment - she only leaves the room and comes back with a medium-sized file. 

"You wanted the Akaashi Keiji case, right?" Kiyoko glances at the two men.

"Er…yeah!" Bokuto cranes his neck over Kuroo's shoulder to try to get a better look at the file in the cramped space. "Is that…?"

Kuroo gives Bokuto a pointed look that says "not here." He pats Bokuto's head down, takes the file from Kiyoko, flips through it once, and snaps it shut.

"That's all the information we have?"

Kiyoko nods. "That's all the information we have."

"…All right. Well," Kuroo turns around, securely clasping the file against his chest. "Thank you for giving us this case. Really, thank you. Now we just have to be able to solve it, or else our bosses are going to be on our asses, I expect."

A faint smile appears on Kiyoko's face. "I suppose so."

When Kuroo is already outside, and Bokuto is halfway through the door, Kiyoko utters a soft "wait!" that Bokuto would have missed if he hadn't been slightly delayed by the hundreds of paper cranes hanging above the door.

Bokuto swings back around. "Yeah? Did you want to ask something, or…?"

"No, no, I just…"

Kiyoko smiles, and for a moment it's Akaashi standing there, Akaashi giving Bokuto one of his rare full-on grins, and then Bokuto is brought back to reality and Kiyoko is there again, an encouraging look on her face.

"If it helps, I believe you can do it. You've helped the police immensely and…if anyone could close this case, it would be you. Good luck."

Bokuto manages to give a cheerful smile. "Thank you. I'm glad you believe in me."

He gently shuts the door behind him.

\-----------------------------------

"Here's how this whole thing will play out: me and my team will search for the body, and you can help if you want. But once we know where it is and we go out to retrieve it, you are absolutely not allowed to come. After we get it back to headquarters, we'll try to see if there are any tracking devices, or any similar things, on the body, and Sugawara-san will perform a complete check. He won't be cutting open the body, but he'll try to determine how healthy it is; you remember how the last time you tried to bring back a sick person, right?"

Bokuto shudders - he remembers it all too well.

"Once everything has been done, then I'll bring you to Akaashi and you can do your thing. And…well, you can say your goodbyes, and that'll be that done. Got it?"

Bokuto was still reeling. "Wait. What do you mean I can't come with you to retrieve the…body?"

Kuroo throws an exasperated glance in Bokuto's direction. "We don't know what condition the body is in, and I don't want you to see something that you probably shouldn't see and be traumatized for the rest of your life."

Bokuto must have an expression on his face similar to that of a kicked puppy, because Kuroo's face softens and he runs a hand through his hair. "Listen, bro, I…I promise you'll get to see Akaashi. Just…everything in due time, I guess."

Bokuto grimaces. "Yeah, everything in due time. Meanwhile, don't we have a body to find?"

\--------------------------------

It wasn't easy. Bokuto didn't think it would be, but he couldn't help hoping against hope that it would all be over in a month or so.

In reality, it had already been a month - in fact, it had been two months - since Kiyoko had reopened Akaashi's case and given it to Bokuto, Kuroo, and the rest of Kuroo's group. All this time, they had been searching for the body, but to no avail.

Yaku had been called in for questioning, but Yaku knew nothing. Bokuto, of course, had already told Kuroo what he knew of Akaashi's plan to visit him. Drive-bys of the route that Akaashi would have take. produced nothing, and even the dogs couldn't pick up a scent. Everything was going horribly, until Bokuto remembered one place where they hadn't checked yet.

"Hey, Kuroo?" Bokuto asks lazily one day after dinner. "Did you check Akaashi's Auntie Muriel's place yet?"

"Yeah, there wasn't anyone in, though." Kuroo answers, half-asleep. "But we left a message telling whoever lived there to call back, and no one ever did, so…"

Suddenly, Bokuto was wide awake. "Dude. Why didn't you go back to check? He definitely would have stopped there - I told you guys so myself."

Kuroo hesitates. "Yeah, but - "

"Uh uh, no buts. I'm going over there right now to ask whether or not she knows where Akaashi is, and I don't care if you come with me or not." Bokuto bends down to tie his shoelaces, jacket already half-on. "Auntie Muriel never answers the door; I know that from experience. We kept telling her to check, just in case someone tried to break in one day…"

Bokuto trails off, a fond look on his face, but immediately shakes himself and opens the front door.

He looks back at Kuroo.

"Well? You coming?"

\-----------------------------------

Kuroo kills the engine and looks up at the house.

"Here? You sure?"

The building looked even worse than Bokuto remembered it, and it was already pretty bad back then. At least five out of the eight windows were dusty, and at least three out of those five were cracked beyond repair. The exterior was practically begging to be repainted, and the wooden door looked like it was on its last legs.

For anyone else, this sight would be worrying. For Bokuto, it looked like home.

"It's fine." He gestures to Kuroo, a wide grin on his face, and walks right up to the door, flinging it open.

"Auntie Muriel?" he calls. "Auntie Muriel, are you there?"

"Bokuto," Kuroo hisses from the doorway. "I really think we should at least knock first - "

"KOUTAROU! IS THAT YOU?" A voice bellows from upstairs, causing Kuroo to wince.

"It's me!" Bokuto practically beams. "And I brought a friend with me, too. Should we come up, or - "

"NO, DON'T BOTHER! I'M COMING!" 

And with a sound that resembled stampeding elephants, a rather chubby middle-aged woman bounded down the steps. Her vividly pink robes billow in the air as she opens her arms wide for an enormous hug.

"Koutarou! Oh, it's been too long." She sniffles and buries her face in Bokuto's chest while Bokuto pats her shoulder awkwardly, trying to calm her down.

"I thought she was American?" Kuroo hisses out of the corner of his mouth.

"Lived in America for a while, decides she liked her American name better than her Japanese one," Bokuto hisses back.

"How have you been? Why didn't you visit? It's been lonely here, all by myself - "

"Er, Auntie Muriel? Auntie Muriel." Bokuto gently tugs her away. "I came here to ask you something. Is that all right?"

"Oh, go ahead, ask away." Muriel wipes her tears, smiling. "And who's this friend you've brought with you?"

"That's…" Bokuto glances at Kuroo, who gives a halfhearted shrug. "Kuroo Tetsurou…from the police department."

"Police?" Muriel looks vaguely disgusted. "I'll have you know I have never done a single thing against the law in all my life, and if you're coming here to accuse me of anything I with personally throw you out of this hou - "

"Ma'am, please," Kuroo interrupts. "Its about Akaashi Keiji."

At that, Muriel grows silent. "Keiji? Boys, if you've come to ask me where he is, I assure you, I don't know any more than you do."

"But could you tell us where he was?" Kuroo presses. "If we could have a general idea of where he went, we might be able to track him down."

Muriel scratches her chin. "Well…he did say something about going into the forest to revisit some of your old haunts? But he never came back out, so I went to look for him myself. Nothing."

Muriel shakes her head. "Dunno what you folks can do, but if you can find Keiji in there - " she points at the forbidden-looking patch of trees nearby - "then I'll be forever indebted to you."

"Don't worry, miss, we will be able to find Akaashi; I can promise you that."

Kuroo throws a meaningful glance at Bokuto. "Shall we leave?"

Bokuto, still shocked at this recent turn of events, snapped back to reality. "Right, uh, sure? Nice seeing you again after all these years, Auntie. And thank you so muchm

Muriel waves her handkerchief. "No problem, no problem at all. And please, call me Auntie Muriel!" she calls at Kuroo's retreating back.

\---------------------------------

"You know, I would say I told you so, but my brain is honestly too exhausted at this point to care anymore."

Bokuto buries his face in his hands, slowly sliding off of his chair. Kuroo paces the perimeter of the dining room, waiting for a phone call from Kenma, his colleague and leader of the canine unit. They're both camping out in Kuroo's apartment, because Bokuto argued that Kuroo's apartment is closer to police headquarters, and that Bokuto's neighbors would murder him if they were woken up at two AM by a pair of "millenials."

"I should've heard something back by now…Bokuto, how long has it been?" Kuroo mutters.

Bokuto groans, sliding even further down. "Relax, bro. It's only been fifteen minutes. I don't think they've even had time to search yet. And please stop pacing; it's getting on my nerves."

"But you don't know Kenma, he's the best of the best…" Kuroo walks past Bokuto for what feels like the hundredth time that night. "For him to go this long without contact, something must have gone wrong -"

Just then, both Bokuto's and Kuroo's phones blow up, and after an unspoken agreement, Kuroo picks up his phone and puts it on speaker.

"Kenma? Bokuto's right here next to me. Did you find anything?"

"We found the body." A quiet voice sounds through the tinny phone speaker. "It's almost perfectly preserved; the murderer must have known what they were doing. Sugawara will be pleased."

Bokuto and Kuroo breathe out sighs of relief at the exact same time, then burst out laughing. Kenma's slightly worried voice asks them if they're alright, but Kuroo assures the other male that they're perfectly fine and that they're on the way to headquarters.

When Kenma hangs up, Bokuto starts laughing again, but this time more out of nervousness than anything else.

"You all right, man?" Kuroo looks at Bokuto like he's gone crazy, and right now, Bokuto genuinely feels like he has.

"I'm…no, no I'm not alright. What if Akaashi doesn't remember me? No, wait, he has to, just because a person's dead doesn't mean that their memory's completely wiped. And his consciousness has definitely aged, I know from experience that that happens, so even if his body hasn't, it shouldn't bee too awkward - "

"Whoa, chill, you are definitely not okay." Grabbing ahold of Bokuto's arm, Kuroo drags him bodily from the couch, only stopping when Bokuto yelps something about needing his phone. "What you need right now is some cold, fresh air to clear your mind, and you're going to get exactly that. Got it?"

Bokuto grins weakly.

"Do I have a choice?"

\-------------------------------------

Kuroo strides into police headquarters, Bokuto in tow. He waves hello to a few night shift workers, and pushes open the door that leads to the medical examination room.

"Ah, there you are, Kuroo!"

Sugawara Koushi, the resident medic, waves cheerfully at the pair of them, though he stifles a yawn at the same time. "Here for Akaashi Keiji?"

Kuroo flashes a thumbs up.

"Mmm, well…there are a few minor cuts and scratches, but they shouldn't matter too much. Like Kenma told me, the body is perfectly preserved, which means that I don't have to do anything regarding rotting flesh or worse. So really, all that I've done is stick a few Band-Aids on the deeper cuts so Akaashi-san doesn't have to look at them when he 'wakes up'."

"You really do think of everything, huh, Suga-san?" Kuroo smiles wanly.

Suga waves away the praise. "Ahh, just doing my job. Anyways! Is Bokuto-san here?"

Bokuto slides out from behind Kuroo and flashes a thumbs-up of his own.

"Good!" Suga claps once. "I'm assuming Kuroo already told you how this is going to play out, but just in case, I'll say it again.

"Kuroo will leave first. I'll bring the body out, and once it's in position on the table, I'll leave as well and you'll have the whole room to yourself. There won't be anyone listening in in the conversation; Kuroo informed me of your close ties with Akaashi-san, and we've made sure that the room isn't bugged or anything. Besides, we trust you enough to get the correct information that we need. Does all of this sound good?"

Bokuto can only nod.

"Well then, why don't we get started?" 

Suga throws a meaningful look at Kuroo, who raises his hands in defeat and backs out of the room. Meanwhile, Suga bustles around the room, clearing away all medical instruments, and wheels out a gurney with a body on it, covered with cloth.

"Ready?" he asks Bokuto.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Bokuto replies somewhat nervously.

"Good."

With a dramatic flourish, Suga flicks off the cloth.

Bokuto really doesn't know what he was expecting, but his breath is absolutely taken away by Akaashi, just like it was when they were young and first met.

He can't help looking down at Akaashi's peaceful face, only snapping out of his daze when Suga clears his throat rather loudly and smiles.

"Should I go now, or…?" 

"Oh!" Bokuto grins sheepishly. "Yeah, I…I'm gonna do my thing now so…" 

He gestures weakly at the door.

Suga pats Bokuto's shoulder. "Don't worry, you're not being rude. I just hope everything goes alright. Good luck!"

And with that, Suga exits the room, the door slamming shut behind him with a definite-sounding click.

Bokuto takes a deep breath. Just a light touch, that's all it would take. No need to be nervous, just stretch out your arm and…

He squeezes his eyes shut, prepared for the worst.

"…Bokuto-san? Are you quite alright?"

Bokuto's eyes snap open.

"Akaashi…? he breathes. "It really is you?"

"Well, why wouldn't it be? Unless…" Akaashi looks down at himself and frowns. "Aren't I supposed to be dead?"

Bokuto meets Akaashi's intense gaze.

He hiccups.

"Let me guess," Akaashi deadpans. "It's a long story, you'll tell me about it later, and right now there's something else you need to know."

"H-How did you know all that?!?" Bokuto squawks. 

"I've been your best friend for nearly five years, Bokuto-san; I can read you like a book. Now out with it - what do you want to ask?"

"Well…" Bokuto twiddles his thumbs. "I wanted to ask…could you tell me who murdered you?"

Akaashi grimaces. "Takashi. My cousin. I knew that he held some sort of grudge against me for encouraging Auntie Muriel to travel to America, but I didn't know he hated me that strongly. I was standing in the creek - do you remember? The creek that we used to swim in when it got too hot? Suddenly I was pushed over, and I saw the reflection of his face in the water before I went in.

"I don't think he meant to kill me, though." Akaashi finishes thoughtfully. "I think he just wanted to torture me a little, but he held me under for a little too long, and I was already dead by the time he pulled me back up. I'm just sorry I never got to see the look on his face."

Bokuto looks murderous. "I always knew Takashi was a bad egg. Ever since that time when he stole my pet rocks and told me he had flushed them down the toilet - "

A knock on the door startles both Bokuto and Akaashi.

"Are you done yet? Daichi-san's out here and he's getting restless." Kuroo calls through the door. 

"Oh, shit, that's the big boss, I gotta…" 

Bokuto stretches out a hand to touch Akaashi again, but he retracts it. If he touched Akaashi again, he would go back to being dead forever. Even if Bokuto touched him again, it wouldn't work - the whole bringing someone back from the dead thing was a one-time only thing. But he couldn't keep Daichi-san waiting for long…

"Shit," Bokuto curses again. "Okay. Kuroo? Tell Daichi-san he can come in now."

"Alright, cool."

Once he hears Kuroo's receding footsteps, Bokuto whirls around to face Akaashi. "Do me a favor - act dead."

Akaashi raises an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"Just. Act dead - quick! They're coming!"

Bokuto throws the blanket over Akaashi's body just as the door opens and Daichi Sawamura, the head of the police department, strides into the room, tailed by Kuroo and Suga.

"Morning, Daichi-san!" Bokuto beams,shoving the feeling of guilt deep down and hoping none of the others can sense it. "Good day today, isn't it?"

"Good morning, Bokuto." Daichi smiles warmly. "You have the information we need, am I correct?"

Bokuto mock-salutes him. "Yes, sir!"

"Good, good." Daichi claps Bokuto and Kuroo on the back. "I really am impressed with you two; you have just managed to do something that the policemen and policewomen before you were unable to do."

He turns on his heel, heading back out the door. "Oh, Bokuto, please meet me in my office in around ten minutes. I need to know everything that Akaashi-san told you."

\-----------------------------------------

Later that day, Bokuto stands in front of police headquarters again.

He checks his phone: 8:30 PM.

By this time, everyone in the police force who could recognize him on sight should be home, or at the very least, not at work anymore.

Bokuto bounces on the balls of his feet.

Time to go in.

He pushes open the door, nodding at the security guard and flashing his ID. He confidently strides down the hallways, past the director's office, and into the medical examination room, only collapsing on the floor once he gets inside.

"Akaashi?" Bokuto calls quietly. "Are you still here?"

"Bokuto-san? What are you doing here?" A muffled voice comes from Bokuto's left side.

"Hold on, Akaashi, I'm coming."

Bokuto hesitates, then opens the door on his left marked "Supplies". He stops for a moment to admire the shelves of bottles and various other equipment - Suga-san really did know how to prepare - before his gaze falls on the three gurneys in front of him, one of which is rather obviously occupied.

He rushes towards that one, flinging off the cloth and immediately getting to work on the restraints, all while Akaashi looks on, an amused expression on his face.

"Bokuto-san, I don't mean to be rude, but what exactly are you doing?"

Bokuto undos the last restraint, straightens up, and looks Akaashi straight in the eyes.

"I'm getting you out of here."

"Bokuto-san…"

"Hurry! And here, take these gloves, I don't want to touch you by accident…"

He helps Akaashi off the gurney, then drags him by the sleeve out of the supply room, opting to take a back exit rather than face all those workers again.

"Listen, I…I have an apartment of my own, it's a little small but it can definitely fit two people and my neighbors can be annoying at times but most of the time they leave me alone. And - oh gosh, I feel like Tokyo has changed so much since you were last here, but maybe that's just me, and I want to show you around and have fun again and - "

"Koutarou," Akaashi interrupts.

Immediately Bokuto grows silent, because even though he had told Akaashi he could use Bokuto's given name all those years ago, he never had, and to hear it flow so easily from Akaashi's mouth made Bokuto's heart beat just a little faster.

And as they stand outside waiting for a taxi, when Akaashi takes Bokuto's hand in his own and squeezes, Bokuto wonders if one can fall in love with the same person twice.

\---------------------------------------

When they've safely arrived at Bokuto's apartment, Bokuto explains the whole thing to Akaashi.

He explains how he can bring dead things back to life, he explains the conditions, he explains how worried he's been all these years, wondering what had happened to Akaashi, and how he met Kuroo and formed a pact to get into the police force and solve Akaashi's case. 

And then, unexpectedly, Bokuto yawns, flops into the couch, and explains that he needs to get enough sleep for his early shift at the ramen shop tomorrow.

"Ramen shop? You work at a ramen shop?" Akaashi looks highly amused.

Bokuto whines, burying his face deeper into his blanket. "Well, I'm not exactly fully employed as a policeman, so I need some other way to earn cash. And the shop is so close! It's literally downstairs!"

Akaashi snorts. "Goodnight, Bokuto."

And before Bokuto can protest that Akaashi should really sleep on his own bed, he falls into a deep sleep.

\------------------------------------

"Hey, Bokuto! Someone's here to see you!"

Bokuto looks up from cutting strands of noodles. "Huh? Who is it?"

Noya pokes his head back out of the kitchen, yells something unintelligible, and retracts it. "He said his name is Akaashi Keiji? Do you know this guy or should I kick him out?"

"No no no! I know him! Hold on, tell him I'll be right out." 

"Okay, if you're sure."

Bokuto exhales, then picks up his knife and finishes cutting the last of the noodles. He drops them unceremoniously into a pot of boiling water, sets a timer on his phone, and hurries out of the kitchen, loosening his apron as he does so.

Sure enough, Akaashi is there, standing on the other side of the counter and chatting with Noya. Akaashi spots Bokuto first, giving him a tiny wave, then Noya does. He ends the conversation abruptly and makes his way back to the kitchen, hip-checking Bokuto as he passes by. 

"Didn't know you got yourself a /boyfriend/." Noya teases, darting away before Bokuto can catch him and slowly strangle him.

Bokuto sighs and leans against the counter. "So. Would you like to order something? Or would you like to go somewhere else for lunch?"

Akaashi stifles a smile. "Noya-san over there seems to be under the impression that we're dating."

Bokuto groans, burying his face in his hands. "He keeps telling me to 'get out there.' He thinks everyone who visits me is trying to date me."

"I don't mind."

"You what?" Bokuto peers out from between his hands, face slowly growing red.

"I said, I don't mind."

This time, Akaashi does smile, and a light dusting of red appears on his cheeks as well. "Saves me the effort of having to ask you myself, don't you think?"

"B…But - wait. Come with me."

Bokuto leads Akaashi towards the kitchen, ignoring the dirty looks Tsukishima, the other cashier, was sending him. Once they were safely out of sight of any customers (and annoying coworkers), Bokuto turns to face Akaashi.

"Why now? Why not before? We could have so much time, I…" Bokuto trails off, suddenly overwhelmed with all the things that could have been.

"I was going to, Bokuto. When I told you I was coming to visit you, that's when I was going to tell you. But, well, we know how that turned out." Akaashi laughs; somewhat bitterly, Bokuto thinks.

"And, all this time…? You liked me too…?"

"Of course I did. Who wouldn't?"

"Wait."

Bokuto grabs a plastic sheet that he was going to use to wrap up uncooked noodles, and drapes it over his own head.

"May I?"

Akaashi simply nods.

The kiss doesn't last long, and it tastes like plastic. Nevertheless, it leaves Bokuto with a sort of satisfaction, and judging by the look on Akaashi's face, it was the same for him, too.

The timer on Bokuto's phone decides to go off at that exact moment, ruining the mood. 

"Oh! My noodles! They're done, I need to…" Bokuto glances at Akaashi, who smiles again and steps away. "I'll see you later?"

"Definitely." Akaashi waves and exits the kitchen.

(Later, Bokuto doesn't realize how long he's been absentmindedly stirring noodles until Noya sneaks up on him, snaps a picture of his face, and whispers "hoo boy, he's got it bad."

Noya is rewarded with a few ice cubes down the back of his shirt.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whistles innocently


	4. Chapter 4

They settle into an almost domestic lifestyle. Akaashi gets up early every morning to see Bokuto off, and Bokuto stops by his apartment whenever he gets a chance to check up on Akaashi. Bokuto cooks some noodles whenever Akaashi isn't home, and Akaashi makes an entire table covered with food whenever Bokuto finishes a case.

They've also figured out how to get along without directly touching, although Bokuto constantly longs for more. They kiss through a layer of plastic wrap, they hold hands while wearing gloves, and when they do decide to take it farther one night, it's done fully clothed (with gloves), and they would be lying of either one of then said they weren't slightly disappointed.

Kuroo has his suspicions, but he's nice enough not to say anything. However, Kuroo's entire unit has noticed how much happier Bokuto seems to be these days, so Bokuto has to put up with teasing from his friends in the ramen shop and from his teammates in the police force. Not that he minds much, really; it's a small price to pay for the immense happiness he feels whenever he's with Akaashi.

But one day, he's in a restaurant, eating dinner with Kuroo, and the newscaster announces from the TV up above that "people have been seemingly dropping dead."

Kuroo gives Bokuto a long look and Bokuto breaks out in a cold sweat, but he casually shrugs.

"Strange, huh?"

And Bokuto takes another bite of his hamburger.

\---------------------------------------

Bokuto had vaguely hoped that Akaashi had forgotten about the conditions that came with Bokuto's ability, and for a few more weeks, it certainly seemed that way. Every time a new death was reported on the news, Bokuto became jittery and started to shake, but Akaashi seemed to take that as either excitement from a new case or tiredness.

But when a new person started dropping dead every day, it started to become a little too obvious.

Akaashi was waiting in the doorway when Bokuto came back from his shift at the ramen shop. Bokuto grinned nervously and shut the door behind him, fully prepared to be yelled at.

"Bokuto-san."

"Er…yes?"

"You have to take me back."

"I…" Bokuto trails off. "I know, but - "

"No. No buts. I hate this too, but people are dying. Because I'm living again. And I can't let that go on for any longer." 

Akaashi smiles, a sad one this time.

Bokuto can feel tears starting to form behind his eyes. "Akaashi, I…I just got you back…I don't know if I can let you go again."

"Bokuto-san. No - Koutarou." Akaashi takes off his gloves, one by one. "You have to move on. I know this is cheesy but I'll always be with you. In your memories of me, in your heart; hell, even in this apartment. And I know you'll find someone else who will take care of you as well I as I can, if not better; someone who will make you happy again; someone who will make sure you don't regret any part of the rest of your life. And please, don't worry about whether or not I'd be happy with your choices, because you know full well that whatever makes you happy makes me happy too."

Bokuto had long since started crying, and Akaashi reaches up to wipe the tears off of Bokuto's face.

"Please. Don't cry."

In response, Bokuto pulls Akaashi's mouth up to meet his, determined to kiss him one last time before it was too late. And instead of tasting like plastic, the kiss tastes like salt, like the noodles that Bokuto had cooked this morning, like cherry-flavored lip balm. Everything that Bokuto had never told Akaashi, every "I love you" that had been understood but had gone unsaid, Bokuto tried to convey through this last kiss, hoping that Akaashi would understand, like he always seemed to do.

And when they break apart, when Bokuto can feel the life going out of Akaashi once more, he kneels down and whispers softly.

"Goodbye, Keiji."

Akaashi smiles for the last time.

"Goodbye, Koutarou."

\--------------------------------------

Back at police headquarters, Kuroo is jolted awake by the sound of his phone ringing. He scowls, wondering who had disturbed his nice nap, and jabs the "accept" button.

"Kuroo Tetsurou speaking, what can I help you with?"

"Kuroo? Hey, it's me, Bokuto. Uh, listen, I might need your help. Can you come over to my apartment right now?"

\------------------------------------

"What. The. Hell. What the /hell/, man?"

Bokuto had just finished telling Kuroo the whole story, starting with him breaking Akaashi out of police headquarters and ending with the events of one hour ago.

"Don't say anything. I know something could have gone wrong, I know that was irresponsible, I know all that already, I just…"

Bokuto looks up at Kuroo, and Kuroo silently curses because there are unshed tears glistening in Bokuto's eyes, and he wants so badly to reach up and wipe them away because this was /Bokuto/ and Bokuto didn't deserve to be this sad.

Kuroo is jerked back to reality when Bokuto lets out a rather loud sniff and wipes his face on the sleeve of his jacket.

"You know when you love someone so much, you become blind to everything else? That was me. I refused to pay attention to the amount of people dying day by day; I pretended the deaths weren't happening. All because I wanted Akaa - Keiji - all because I wanted him to stay another hour, another day…you know? And I'm so sorry, I - I shouldn't have - I - "

And then Bokuto starts crying again, and all Kuroo can do is pull Bokuto in for a hug, gently patting his back while Bokuto cries on Kuroo's shoulder.

"There, there," Kuroo whispers. "I promise you, everything will work out in the end.

"I promise."

\-----------------------------------

The next day, Bokuto returns to police headquarters with Kuroo, fully prepared to be chewed out for what he's done.

Instead, everyone seems to be sympathetic towards Bokuto, even going out of their way to offer him words of comfort and things that they think will make him feel better.

(Bokuto thinks that nothing could ever make him feel better ever again, but he takes the words and he takes the gifts with gratitude, because it is rather nice to know that so many people have his back.)

Daichi attempts to lecture him, but ends up stopping halfway and going off on a tangent about how he, too, had lost someone dear to him when he was little. Bokuto almost, /almost/ manages to not fall asleep.

When he wakes up, there's a bottle of water and a cup of coffee sitting on Daichi's desk next to his head, and a note is stuck to his hand telling him to rest up more, because he can't have his best investigator falling asleep on the job.

And then there's Kuroo. He's always there; cracking a bad joke, flirting with the ladies, but never straying too far from Bokuto because he just knows that Bokuto doesn't want to be left alone at a time like this. 

Bokuto isn't sure how Kuroo knows - in fact, he finds it slightly creepy - but he appreciates the company all the same.

The police force - or, more specifically, Bokuto - contacts Akaashi's parents. They break down crying over the line, partly because of relief and partly because of sadness. 

They agree to come down to the station immediately.

When they get there, Bokuto is pulled into a rib-crushing hug by two people surprisingly strong for their age. Kuroo looks embarrassed to be there and tries to leave, but Akaashi's father notices the movement and waves Kuroo back.

"Come here, boy. Let me thank you."

And he loosens his grip on Bokuto to give Kuroo a slap on the back.

Kuroo splutters, not knowing what he should say. In the end, he settles for a weak "Akaashi-san - "

"No need for those formalities." Akaashi's father waves in Kuroo's direction.

"But, sir..."

"You helped find our son." Akaashi's mother pipes up, a warm smile on her face. "Thank you, thank you so much. We don't know how we'll ever repay you."

(And if Bokuto thinks that Kuroo looks nice when he's all flustered like that, well, that's for himself to know.)


End file.
